The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1887-03-10
"A FAMOUS BUSHWHACKER.
CAREER OF BILL ANDERSON AND
HIS MISSOURI FOLLOWERS.
Becoming the Terror.o of Missouri in
the Civil War-Deeds of Blood
His Last Fight.

the Civil War-DeeuS OF 6loou-
His Last Fight.
"Did you ever hear of Bill Anderson
of Missouri" This was the question of
an ex-Confederate Major General, with
whom I was not long ago discussing the
story that an attempt was made during
the war to bribe Mosby. He continued: (:
"Mosby was never half such terror IN
Virginia as Bill Anderson was in Mis-
souri,.
"When the war began, Anderson, like
about half the people of the State, was
for the Union. have no doubt he would
have gone into the Union Army but fer
an event which changed the whole cur
rent of his life and transformed the ma
ture of the man completely. He lived in
q county which was about equally dl-
vided between the Union and the Con-
federacy. In an ad joining county, which
was strong for the Union, resided his
two sisters. Their svmpathies were en-
tirely with the South, and they gave
very open and injudiclous expression to
them. Party feelings ran so high in the
neighborhood that these two women
were taken from home by some Union
men and locked up in house by them
selves on the pretext that they might
give information to the Confederates.
While they were thus imprisoned the
house fell, killing one of them and GRIP
pling the other for life. 1t is said that
the pillars on which the house stood
were sawed in two by some cowardly
creature, who did not scruple at the muir
der OF a woman.
"When Anderson heard of this out
rage he almost went mad. AS soon as
the first burst Of his fnry was over he de-
termined to avenge the death of one Sis
ter and the Gripping of the other. He
organized band of eighty meu and be-
gan his work of bood and destruction.
He did not enlist in the Confederate
service, because he wanted to be free
from all orders and in his own way to
work out his burning desire for revenge.
He was about thirty years old, but near
" every one of his men was younger
than he. Most OF them were boys from
eighteen to twenty years of age, sturdy
boys from the farms, who could ride
like Indians and shoot with deadly
precision. They had superb horses
which they soon trained to wonderful
control. Their only weapons were SIX
shooters. Not man in Anderson's COM
mand from first to last, was ever seen
with any other weapon. Every one of
them carried four revolvers, two in his
belt and two at his saddle. They were
expert pistol shots at the start, but they
soon became so skilled that they could
shoot a mans eye out at twenty PAGES,
and could kill man fifty yards away as
they rode at full gallop.
Their first act was to kill dozen
men who were supposed to beimplicatsd
in the outrage on Anderson's sisters.
They then began securing the country.
burning and plundering the houses of
Union men and spreading terror over
half -a-dozen counties. Band after band
was organized to meet them, but they
all shared the same fate, death and rout
Anderson and all his Ebeys knew every
foot of the country perfectly. and when
they were too hard pressed by superior
numbers they would disband. Each
man would take care of himself, and next
day they would meet at some appointed
rendezvous to begin their deadly work
anew.
'When they went into battle each
man would take the reins of his per-
fectly trained horse in his teeth. He
could guide the animal wherever he
chose simply by the motion of his body.
Then, with six-shooter in each hand,
thev would dash right into the enemy's
ranks, firing right and left and making
every bullet tell. They could shoot with
the left hand as vel! as with the right.
and in many IN engagement they killed
more than their number.
Anderson was swarthy little fellow
who did not weigh more than 120 pounds.
He wore his raven hair down on his
shoulders, and in battle his little black
eyes glowed like fire. He fought more
like q demon than man His one
thought was to kill He never took any
prisoners, and not on, of his men was
ever captured alive. They had raised the
black flag, and it had been raised against
them, and they fought with the furious
courage of desperation. Anderson never
wore a uniform of any kind. He was
usually attired in dingy auit Of jeans
and wore q broad -brimmed, black wool
hat with long white feather in it. His
men were attlred in black velvet coats,
gorgeously embroidered, jean breeches,
which were for ever stuffed in their big
boots, and big felt hats. They all had
long hair, and as they secured the country
were the very picture of gang of high
waymen.
''There is no telling how many men
they killed. I should say thousand was
a small estimate. Once, after they had
been terrifying q County faE- -sexeTal tlaysy5
Captain Johnson Of the Federal State
Militia started after them with force Of
$50 menA Johnson met farmer and
asked hinSif he knew where Anderson
was. He replied:
''Yes. He is in ravine about four
miles from here, but you had better
leave him alone
"'How many men has he2'
"tAbout eighty, guess, but you had
better not fool with him.
johnson pushed on, confident that he
would soon annihilate Anderson's band
with his superior force. Before he knew
it lie was in an ambush, and within two
hours from the time he met the farmer